


Remembering The Past (And Moving Forward)

by ThatWinchesterGirl67



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Flash Forward, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27069364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWinchesterGirl67/pseuds/ThatWinchesterGirl67
Summary: It's been nine years since Derek Shepherd last saw Addison Montgomery and Meredith Grey. When they both arrive at Seattle Grace for a case he discovers just how much he's missed over the years.
Relationships: Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery
Comments: 12
Kudos: 103





	Remembering The Past (And Moving Forward)

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is essentially what I think could have happened if Meredith followed Addison to L.A. back in S3. It's told through Derek's POV to show just how much things have changed between them all and I wanted to write a story where Derek is more supportive of their relationship because he's an ass in all my other stories so far hahaha.  
> I hope you all enjoy this!

Derek stared down at the name printed neatly across the top of the chart he had just picked up. _Addison Forbes Montgomery._ They had admitted a complicated OB/GYN case the previous night, the mother needed surgery that only a handful of the best surgeons in the field could perform. Addison was one of them. He got word that morning that she was on the first flight out from L.A. and Meredith was coming with her. He hadn't seen or spoken to either of them since they first left Seattle.

Addison's departure from the hospital came as a shock to everyone at the time, everything had seemed normal and then out of nowhere, she had handed her resignation to Richard. She claimed she simply wasn't happy in Seattle anymore. She needed a change in her life and a better offer that gave her that option had come up. She packed her life then and moved to Los Angeles to work at a practice there run by old friends from med school. The day Addison left was also the last time he would see Meredith, though he didn't know it at the time.

It had been the day of Cristina and Burkes disastrous wedding, the day Meredith had stood at the altar and announced that it was over, _so over_. Everyone had known she wasn't just talking about the wedding but her relationship with Derek. After that rather public display she left Seattle, although at first, it was only temporary - a trip to Hawaii, Cristina had insisted there was no point in wasting the honeymoon when it was already paid for - when she arrived back she told Richard she done, done with the bad memories and drama of Seattle and quit on the spot, following Addison to L.A. That was nine years ago.

Derek didn't know much about what happened after that, except what he had seen about their careers online or had heard about them among the medical community. Addison was the foremost OB/GYN surgeon on the west coast, hell in the country and she was even back publishing her own papers. Meredith had finished her residency at St. Ambrose hospital and had shaped up to be a fine surgeon rivalling her own mother's reputation as a general surgeon. She had gone on to also join the practice, Oceanside Wellness Group - now Seaside Health & Wellness after Addison, with some help from Meredith, bought the practice to prevent it from going under. They were both more successful than they had ever been in Seattle.

He knew the others were still contact -Cristina called almost daily and Alex even flew down to L.A. a few time - but he never asked and they never told him anything. After the way things had ended with both of them, he thought it was best to give everyone involved a fresh start, and after a while, the urge to call was there less and less until eventually, he accepted that, that part of their lives was over now. They had all moved on, and for the better.

"Uncle Alex!"

Derek placed the chart down on the nurse's station and turned just in time to see a young girl, no more than five years old running towards Alex Karev. Alex stooped down with a laugh and caught her in his arms, lifting her up into the air with ease. She burst into a fit of laughter as Alex tilted her upside down, moving his hands to tickle her ribs.

"What are you doing in Seattle?" He asked moving to hold her in his arms more comfortably.

"Mommy said we were going to visit her old friends!" She announced her voice full of excitement as she played with the stethoscope hanging around his neck.

Now that she was still Derek could see her more clearly. Her dirty blonde hair was messy and windswept from playing with Alex and he could see the giddiness in her grey eyes. At first, he couldn't quite place his finger on the memory this girl was bringing up. He thought perhaps it was that she acted much like Amelia at that age but then it hit him. She was the image of her mother.

"You mean this trip wasn't all to see uncle Alex?" Alex gasped, pressing one hand to his chest feigning a look of hurt.

"Unfornutaly not. Mommy has to work." Meredith laughed walking over to join the pair. She looked different now. Happier. Lighter, as if the weight that the pain and expectation in Seattle had pushed down on her had finally been lifted. She looked peaceful. As Meredith wrapped her arms around Alex, pulling him into a tight hug Derek caught sight of the bright hospital lights reflecting off a wedding band on her finger.

"Where's auntie Cristina?" The little girl asked.

"Auntie Cristina currently has her hand on someone's heart," Alex said carefully placing her back down onto the ground. "She's busy off saving someone's life."

"Cool!" She giggled.

"She's the only five-year-old I know that gets excited at the idea of open-heart surgery." Alex chuckled to Meredith who was moving her hand through the girl's hair to try and fix the messy pieces of hair

"Our little surgeon in the making." Meredith sighed gazing down at her daughter with a proud smile.

"Mommy, who's that?" Her daughter asked pointing over at Derek who had been quietly watching this all unfold from the nurse's station.

Meredith smiled warmly at Derek and in that moment he knew what it meant. No hard feelings, the past was the past. They were all different people now, they had all grown up from the drama of her intern year. It was their chance to start over and handle things differently than they had in the past.

"Grace sweetheart this is Derek. He's an old friend of mine." She explained.

"Hi, Derek!" Grace waved enthusiastically while grinning up at him. One of her front teeth was missing.

"Hello, Grace. It's great to meet you." Derek smiled back at her.

Grace seemingly happy to have made a new friend turned her attention back to Alex who was now demonstrating how to use a stethoscope to hear her own heartbeat. Meredith walked over and stopped next to Derek, leaning back against the nurse's station. It was silent, but not awkward like Derek had imagined it would be after all these years.

"So, you got married." He said then, finally breaking the silence.

"Six years next month." Meredith smiled twisting the ring on her finger. Her face lit up at the mention of her marriage and she had a soft look in her eyes. Whoever they were, they were lucky to have someone who cared so deeply for them.

"Mommy!" Grace squealed before bolting down the corridor. Derek moved to see where she had run off to and then he saw it. A flash of dark red hair that reminded him of the night in the lobby of the hospital so many years ago. But now, Addison didn't look angry or hurt as she had that night. Now much like Meredith, she looked happy, a bright smile plastered across her face as she bent down to greet Grace. She wasn't the same lonely wife she had been then. She was, a mother.

At first, Derek had thought Grace had called out mommy to alert Meredith to Addison's arrival but as he watched Addison pick her up and press a kiss to her temple everything fell into place. As she rested her hand on Grace's back Derek saw the same wedding band on her finger. She was _their_ kid. Meredith's mystery partner was Addison.

"Everything alright?" Meredith asked once Addison was within earshot of them.

"Perfect honey, I'm all set. Richard doesn't need me until the morning." She smiled leaning in to kiss Meredith's cheek. They looked like the perfect couple. Matching loving smiles on both of their faces and their daughter perched on Addison's hip. They were happy.

"Mommy that's Derek, Mommy's old friend," Grace said gesturing towards Derek.

"Yes, I know Derek." Addison laughed gently. "He was my friend too."

"Well, he's my friend now too." Grace absentmindedly played with the curls of Addison's hair. 

"Is that so?" 

Addison looked at Derek and smiled, it was the first time she had directly addressed Derek since she arrived. Derek nodded at her, both in agreement with the fact that Grace seemed to have taken an immediate liking to him but also to what was left unsaid between them. We're okay now, I've moved on.

"How about we let uncle Alex take you around the hospital? I'm sure he could spare a few minutes, right?" Meredith asked sparing a glance at Alex who nodded back at her.

"Of course, I know all the best places to explore and I happen to know that Sloan is around her somewhere with your friend Sophia," Alex said as Addison placed Grace down and let her run over to him.

"Have fun sweetheart." She smiled giving them a small wave.

"She's a sweet kid, she seems full of energy." Derek laughed turning to face Addison and Meredith. Now that Grace was out of her arms Addison had leaned into Meredith's side, wrapping her arm around her waist.

"Oh definitely, it's a struggle to get her to sit down for five minutes but we love her more than anything." Meredith sighed a content tone to her voice.

"Our little miracle." Addison smiled. "We didn't think we were going to be able to have kids at first, we both had issues that would prevent us from conceiving but we found a loophole."

"A very expensive loophole." Meredith chuckled. "Crazy how much having a baby costs when you can't do it the old fashioned way."

"Meredith!" Addison let out an exasperated sigh at her comment and lightly smacked her arm, letting out a slight laugh despite herself. Meredith just smirked and bumped her shoulder against Addison's.

"I'm happy for you both," Derek said with a nod. "I truly am. I'm glad you two found each other and got the family you deserved."

Addison felt the nervousness that been creeping up on her finally melt away at the sincerity in his words. She had worried that things would be weird returning to Seattle after how things had been left all those years ago. It was a relief that everything was finally out in the open even if everyone else had already known since the beginning.

"A family that's going to be one bigger," Meredith said then looking up at Addison with admiration as she slipped her hand under Addison's coat to rest on her stomach.

"I'm still hoping it's a boy this time." Addison laughed laying her hand on top of Meredith's.

"You're pregnant again? Oh congratulations, that's great news." Derek smiled brightly at them.

"Thank you, Derek."

Addison untangled herself from Meredith and Derek pulled her into a hug which she quickly returned. Once they pulled away Derek hugged Meredith as well. He had to admit it was good to see both again after so long. Before any of them could say anymore his pager went off, it was the O.R.

"Look I've got surgery now but, we should catch up some more." He suggested. "It seems like I've missed a lot."

"Of course. We're going to Joe's tonight with Callie and Mark, you should join us." Addison said and Meredith nodded in agreement.

"I will, I'll see you both later then."

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on Tumblr @ThatWinchesterGirl67, feel free to chat with me or send me some requests! I now also have a Ko-Fi which you can find under the same name.


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